Knauf opens gypsum board plant in Hai Phong

Knauf Vietnam opened a gypsum board plant in the northern port city of Hai Phong on October 30 after nearly two years of construction.

Costing 30 million euro ($32.9 million), the plant is one of the largest FDI projects in the city.

Covering nearly 63,000 sq m at the Dinh Vu Industrial Park, it is expected to produce 12 million sq m of gypsum board and 15 million linear meters of metal profile on an annual basis. All products have passed the strict requirements of TCVN 8256:2009 and ASTM C1396.

“The plant has been using local materials as well as the most modern and environmentally-friendly technologies,” said CEO David Victor. “The company has recently engaged two distributors in Vietnam, one in the south and one in the north.”

He expressed a belief that the plant will help the company gain a considerable market share in Vietnam and the north in particular. He added that it has committed to providing customers with a high level of technical support and to helping improve the skills of gypsum board installers in Vietnam.

Deputy Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, Mr. Le Thanh Son, said it would create the best conditions possible for the company to implement its manufacturing activities.

In the first nine months of this year Hai Phong led the country in attracting $2.7 billion in FDI, five times higher than in the same period last year and surpassing the annual target by more than 42 per cent.

The city aims to attract more than $3 billion in FDI by the end of the year; its highest level to date.

Founded in 1932, Knauf Group is a multinational producer of building materials and construction systems that operates more than 220 production plants in over 60 countries worldwide with roughly 25,000 employees. It has recently been expanding into a number of Eastern European and Asian markets. Knauf Vietnam applied for and was granted an investment license for the gypsum board plant in 2013.